Rapper Says American Airlines Flight Attendant Refused to Let Him Use First Class Overhead Bin

In December two basketball players claimed they were kicked off of an American Airlines regional flight for stealing blankets from first class. American apologized because they’re apologizing to anyone who claims they had a racial issue with the airline however a blog reader was on the flight and disputed the passengers’ account.

Earlier this month a rapper threatened to chop off a flight attendant’s head so naturally that was racism too.

Now rapper Joey Bad Ass says an American Airlines flight attendant scolded him for using first class overhead bins even though he was a first class passenger.

He threw down his first class boarding pass, natch.

People certainly make assumptions all the time, I recently wrote about passengers who assume someone wouldn’t be in a premium cabin because they’re too young. And goodness knows that female business travelers have their own stories too.

And all I can say to this gentleman by way of comfort, I suppose, is to be grateful he didn’t look Muslim. Muslim passengers have it far worse than anyone else in this country.

However I’m skeptical that an American Airlines flight attendant attempted to police passenger use of the first class overhead bin at all. American is going to be putting ‘reserved’ signs on the overhead bins above premium seats the way that Delta does however they aren’t asking flight attendants to police those. If the story isn’t true, in Mr. Badass’s own words “The karma gon’ catch up, your album sales won’t.”


Source: American Airlines

American’s twitter team replied to the rapper that they’d have someone meet him on arrival. He says that didn’t happen.

However American says that someone was there to meet the man who ignored the employee.

In a statement, the airline confirmed it was investigating the incident, and claimed it had sent someone to greet Scott upon his arrival at LaGuardia Airport in Queens.

Despite Scott’s tweet suggesting otherwise, a source told the Daily News that the airline did have a manager at the gate who was ignored by the rapper.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. Way to go AA you tried to placate this guy after he referred to one of your female flight attendants as a “stupid bitch”. If a white man had tweeted this same message I dare say we would hear a massive outcry over the use of that language directed at a woman.

  2. “…I’m skeptical that an American Airlines flight attendant attempted to police passenger use of the first class overhead bin at all.”

    Well, an FA (albeit on a American Eagle flight) did just exactly that recently when I moved my bag from several rows behind me to an empty bin in first when boarding was almost complete. She said the bin was for FC passengers and I said I was in an adjacent coach row (where another passenger had already taken the only underseat space). If a FC passenger needed the bin, I would have to move my bag, etc. etc., but obviously the only reason I put my bag there in the first place was that no one else needed the bin. However, I applaud the FA’s training that led her to believe that the last FC passenger to board an Embraer may still require 3 entire bins to themselves.

  3. Contrary to Bill, I hope and suspect there will be some pushback against this guy using the b word.

    From his description of the incident, I guess it’s possible he stowed the bag a row or two or three before his seat, and the flight attendant jumped to the conclusion that he wasn’t seated in first. That’s not to excuse the assumption or the fact that she might not have made it if he were a white guy in a business suit (or perhaps if he were simply a white guy).

    On the other hand, as someone who flies first domestically, it does make me re-think a bit my own wish that flight attendants would police the overhead bins in first. If it means they have to not only notice someone putting his/her bag there but track the person to see if they move on to economy, it becomes more of a hassle and potentially a real source of trouble if they get it wrong.

  4. @ Steve – I’ve flown domestic first on various airlines and the only time I’ve seen a coach passenger’s bag go into a bin in first it was an FA who placed it there. Coach passengers simply do not occupy first class bins on a regular basis because everyone wants their bag next to them. As I said, the only reason I put my bag in a FC bin is that I sat in a row with no underseat space (there were two coach seats behind only one FC seat).

  5. What? An AA FA policing First Class bins? Easier to find a unicorn. In all my AA flights (EXP), I have seen it happen once or twice.

  6. I see economy passengers place bags in the FC bins all the time. Never seen a AA FA stop anyone.

  7. I’m not sure I’m buying the rapper’s story. If someone likes to call a FA a stupid bitch, he’s probably the kind of person who enjoys conflict and looking for it.

  8. Awww, Gary, too bad today’s racism honeypot hasn’t drawn many of your hoped-for racist idiots so far. Maybe an add or two on not-very-bright-bart would help?

  9. C’mon waddling Trumpanzees. Where’s the race resentment? Tell us about how you’re the one’s discriminated against! (That’s because your hideously fat and stupid, like we see at the rallies, not because of your race which is some weird new one that’s pasty).

  10. @Caveman Greg. How are you doing! [Wait, I need to speak your language.] Uga Uga Uga! Trumpa Bada. UgaH? Ok. Thumbs up. [Seriously, I travel alot and gotta communicate with the natives.]

    On the article, I very seldom see the Flight Attendents police the first class cabin bag space. In fact, I have never seen the American Airlines police the space. So I am sceptical also that any first class passenger laughed at the flight attendent. I wouldn’t, since I am too busy listening to music on my Bose to care about another passengers interactions with the flight attendant.

  11. Have any passengers that witnessed what happened confirmed what they saw? This is just human error the guy does look really young in the picture above.
    American Airline is not racist in any way.The last 3 flights on American Airlines 2 of the male flight attendants were gay and there was a Spanish and a white female attendant.

  12. “…we’re going to have someone meet you at the gate once you arrive.”

    Should have been the cops.

  13. I enjoy the incongruity of someone named “Bad Ass” complaining that his feelings were hurt.

  14. As an employee in the service fields, my brown-raced customers have all the Gucci, Versace, Escalade, etc.: first-class accommodations in most every case. It is the norm. I expect this, and would never question the reality of this obvious reality. Who in these industries would remark on the unremarkable.
    Sorry, rapper; I expect the best for you. Don’t worry.

Comments are closed.